New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-05

OPENING THE SALOONS ON SUND4Y.
This is free country, and voters can mould
tho laws Of this State as they please STILL
we doubt il they are ready yet to welcome
law authorizing the sale of liquor on Sunday
The members of the Personal Liberty party
will discover that the people of this State have
many prejudices' against the opening OF the
saloons on that day. A good deal Of liquor is
sold secretly on Sunday; but it has to be SOLD
In defiance of law, and the police at any
moment may arrest both buyer and seller. III
the front doors of the liquor saloons stood in
willingly open on Sunday, many would be
drawn into them who now pass by without
thought of liquor drinking 1t Is this con-
sciousncss that there would be an enormous
increase in drinking and consequent drunken
ness in cities il the saloons were open on oun-
day that leads voters to resist such modlhca-
ton of the excise laws as Is desired by inc
Personal Liberty party. Every one knows
that the worllngme receive their week wages
on Saturday night and are idle on Sunday
and that hundreds under these circumstances
would be tempted into drunkenness and its
consequent evils if the saloons were open.
Senator Evarts well points out in an Albany
|
the work and aims of the Personal Liberty
party. that Z" if we permit the opening oil
LIQUOR stores on Sunday we shall have to per-
NIT the opening of other places OF business"
Bishop Ryan, OF Buffalo, makes the same point
indirectly when he says: 81 cannot see why
buying and selling intoxicating liquors should
be privileged traffic on the Lords Day" 1t
is obvious TO Mr. Evarts as it is to most people
that the opening of the saloons on Sunday
would lead inevitably to the transformation
of Sunday into day of work in all lines OF
business. Some time ago the Central LABOR
Union of this city exerted all its influence to
shut ND the stores on the East Side which were
kept open on Sunday. That was done to
rescue the clerks of those stores from the
slavery of constant work. Will the Union
resist the opening Of the liquor stores on Sun
dav afternoon? Or will it favor the opening
of the saloons and the gradual opening Of the
doors of other kinds Of business, till all arc
open
The Democratic party in its platform bids for
the support Of the Personal Liberty party
by saying: awe oppose all sumptuary laws
grevously interfering with the personal I'D
critics and reasonable habits and customs OF
any portion Of our citizens" That means oil
course, that if the Democratic party is gwen
majority in the Legislature of 1883 1t VIII
pass a law authorizing the sale Of liquor on
Sunday. Its candidates for the Legislature
will answer "Yes'' when they receive the
circular letter of the secretary OF the Personal
Liberty party asking them if they will vote
TO open the saloons on Sunday. There Will
be no danger however, of such a law passing
if Republican Legislature is elected. The
temperance legislation Of the Republican Leg
islature of 1887 is sufficient assurance on that
! point But We warn the voters who are
opposed to the selling Of liquor on Sunday that
The members of the Personal Liberty party are
in dead earnest, that they have some thousands
of votes which they intend to cast for the men
who will vote for their bill opening the saloons
on Sunday and that they are only to be de-
fcated by an equally determined opposition.